Reuters
Participants in Mali's national dialogue on Friday recommended extending the military-led transition to democracy by three years and allowing junta leader Assimi Goita to stand in the eventual election. The West African country has been under military rule since a coup in 2020, and tensions have risen over the junta's failure to stick to a promised timeline for the return to constitutional rule. Months-long nationwide consultations, which were boycotted by many of the opposition, culminated on Friday with a host of recommendations including the extension of the transition to five years from two, effectively prolonging the junta's rule to 2027.